Last year many of us were shocked by the enactment of Plan Bay Area. Now we face an even greater threat - Senate Bill 1. In the excellent BBC TV show "Doctor Who" one of the doctor's most fiendish opponents are the "Weeping Angels" (pictured). Whenever you blink these fiendish stone statues creep up on you and send you to a different time period. Senate Bill 1, if enacted, could send us back to Dickensian London - dark days where those with lower incomes were relegated to living in crowded conditions in inner city high rises. Meanwhile the one percent, the only ones able to afford it, could escape to wealthy suburbs on trains.Senate Bill 1 is just like the weeping angels. While none of us were looking on May 28th it was passed by the state senate. Then on September 9th it was passed by the state assembly. It lies on the Governor's desk - now all that remains is for Governor Brown to sign it into law. If we blink - it will become law, unless we act.Senate Bill 1 is the work of State Senate leader Darrell Steinberg - you remember, the senate leader who receives campaign donations from the construction industry, developers, builders' unions, train manufacturers...Senate Bill 1 has passed the State Assembly, all that remains for it to become enacted is for Governor Jerry Brown to sign and enact it. Senate Bill 1 is up there with Plan Bay Area. In fact I must correct myself, this is far, far worse than Plan Bay Area.

What's All the Fuss with Senate Bill 1?

Here is a picture of the future under Senate Bill 1... (warning, R rating!)- A city mayor or county supervisor forms a new joint powers authority called a "Sustainable Communities Investment Authority" (SCIA), they appoint elected officials to serve on the SCIAs board.- If you live within 1/2 mile of a bus that runs every 15 minutes, or the SMART train or Caltrain in a single family home neighborhood your neighborhood can be targeted by the SCIA as inefficient land use and "blighted" as it is not high density multi-family housing. Almost everyone reading this in Marin (apart from some Steve Kinsey constituents in Western Marin) is therefore affected - I have seen the map with these 1/2 mile radiuses and it covers almost all Marinites.- The SCIA can then wield the power of eminent domain to purchase unused, for sale or even occupied land in order to build high density multi-family housing - that it deems to be efficient land use.- The SCIA can then impose local taxes on us to pay not just for the eminent domain purchases but to help the land developer build by subsidizing the building of high density housing.- In order to meet criteria in SB1 allowing imposition of local taxes the SCIA must impose"a sustainable parking standards ordinance that restricts parking in transit priority project areas to encourage transit use to the greatest extent feasible". Yes you read that right, "to the greatest extent feasible". This could mean anything from reducing available parking, to introducing parking permits and parking meters.Are you outraged? Can you believe this is even being considered in 2014 America? Don't believe me - the read the full analysis of Senate Bill 1.

How Can You Help Stop Senate Bill 1?

Unfortunately our state legislators were asleep at the wheel and the State Assembly passed this bill. They blinked. The one remaining act able to preventing enactment is Governor Jerry Brown's veto.This means that in the next few days, if you object, you can do one of the following:1) Most Effective - Write a Letter to Governor BrownTake the copy of the letter that I wrote and adapt it.Here's the letter that I sent to Governor Brown for you to adapt (Google Docs)Don't send an identical version:- put your address at the top- rephrase it (we don't want dozens of cloned letters)- shorten it- be sure to sign it- MAIL IT QUICKLY before the Governor signs SB1 into law. -mail it to:Governor Jerry Brownc/o State Capitol, Suite 1173Sacramento, CA 958142) Next most Effective: Call Governor Brown's Office Here's the phone number:(916) 445-2841 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting(916) 445-2841 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlightingIt would be good for the governor's office to be inundated with calls from concerned California voters. Explain your concerns. Ask him to veto the bill. Demand that this bill is better publicized and that there is proper public outreach.3) Email - Easiest, but least EffectiveEmail Governor Brown. Leverage the content in my letter above.To email the governor use this form. Select "OTHER". Request a reply. Then in the subject put "Please Veto Senate Bill 1 (SCIA)" (or something to that effect).Alternatively instead of using the form you can email the governor at governor@governor.ca.gov .Cc Your State AssemblymanI would also encourage you to send a copy of your letter to your state assembly representative:

If you live in Marin or Sonoma this is Marc Levine - we need to ride Marc who actually voted for Senate Bill 1. My understanding is that he did not fully understand this bill. He is also under pressure to vote for this bill from his party's leader. Use this form to contact Marc Levine.

Why On Earth are they Pushing Senate Bill 1?

Senate Bill 1 is being pushed for a range of reasons:1) To Fight Climate ChangeLike other green legislation SB1 is based on the questionable, if not flawed concept of transit oriented development. This is flawed as it presumes transit creates less greenhouse gas emissions than cars and light trucks. However here is the real present day US emissions situation:- transit achieves 36.2 passenger miles per gallon on average (assumes average vehicle occupancy of 1.67 passengers per vehicle based on the National Household Travel Survey, 2009)- cars and light trucks achieve 43.9 passenger miles per gallonAs you may know by now the higher the mpg or passenger mpg the lower the greenhouse gas emissions. So a higher mpg figure is better.What's even more important is that not only are cars and light trucks already cleaner than transit, they are getting cleaner at a much faster rate. In the San Francisco region (metropolitan area) Forbes reports that one in ten new cars sold is a hybrid so the emissions for cars are even better than portrayed by the national figures presented above.2) To Help the Construction IndustryThe construction industry is one of Darrell Steinberg's greatest campaign donators. Steinberg is the author of SB1. SB1 states:"The construction industry has been one of the sectors hardest hit by the economic downturn of recent years. Creating incentives for construction can help restore construction and permanent jobs, which are essential for a restoration of prosperity."But if one looks at the actual US Department of Labor state figures for California in 2013 now one can see that construction industry employment is growing at a near consistent 5% (year on year) - this seems very healthy. The Associated General Contractors of America 2013 report shows California as gaining the most construction industry jobs of any state.3) Steinberg's Donors?While one can never directly join the dots, here's a quick breakdown of Steinberg's donors:- Public Sector Unions $587,585; this group benefits as public works helps build the infrastructure (roads, water mains, sewers...) for new high density housing- Railroads $45,000; this constituent group is achieving dividends through a major over-emphasis on rail instead of buses to serve Steinberg's new "sustainable communities". Includes BNSF Railway- Building Trade Unions $445,160; need I elaborate here?- Real Estate $201,929; likely developers- Finance - major donors include Citigroup, Deloitte and Touche, Price Waterhouse Coopers, KPMG4) Reducing Commute Times for EmployeesI have yet to figure out how flooding areas with high density housing, on flimsy evidence that there will be reduced auto usage, will in any way reduce commute times. It would seem that with the road system nearing capacity, and per capita transit ridership dropping despite massive investments in transit since the 1980s, that this is a recipe to really jam up the Bay Area.5) More Affordable Housing & TransportationWe saw what happened with Plan Bay Area. That plan also sought to achieve the same savings. However it actually increased the amount of income lower and lower-middle income workers needed to spend on transportation from 66% to 69%.It would seem that our legislators just want us to build until they deem housing to be "affordable". They won't tell us where the finish line is - we should just keep building and building...like boiling the ocean.

A New Years Resolution

So as you and your children write thank you letters for what you received as gifts this year, why not add one more letter to your outbound mail: a letter to our state's governor that not only demonstrates how much value you place on where you live now, but seeks to preserve the quality of life for all of us and our children in the years to come. Perhaps you're already in front of a keyboard right now, start writing

About SaveMarinwood.org

Our community is what we make it. Marinwood-Lucas Valley is on the eve of a fateful decision by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to designate our community with 71% of all affordable housing in unincorporated Marin. If built to plan it will swell our community by 25% and add 600-1000 school children to the Dixie School District. Since affordable housing developments pay virtually no taxes, the community will have to pay for the $6 million to $10 million annually estimated to educate these children. Our total budget for the Marinwood CSD is $4.2 million dollars. Clearly it will have a severe impact on our community.

We support a fair allocation of affordable housing in our community that is sensitive to land use, is fiscally responsible, healthy for the families and integrates diversity within our community.

Unfortunately, planners, politicians and political insiders made their plans without us.